Misnaming

"When we give something a name, it is a common error to think we understand it. But we often don't understand. Even worse, it is possible to misname things and build a false set of understandings leading to disaster. ... When politicians are allowed to mislabel things, to attribute false capabilities or attributes, to apply solutions for insoluable problems, then you know that something wretched is in the works. ... The official position of the [US] in its 'war against terror' is not imperialist. It is something worse. In fact, we need a new word to describe it--and a new set of understandings to see our way out of it. ... According to President Bush, 'We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.' The president's statement is logically correct, but strategically nonsensical. While the 'expansion of freedom' is desireable for America, it is prohibitively costly and beyond out capabilities. ... In the Middle East, Bush's policy of spreading democracy has a destabilizing effect. It promises nothing less than revolutions and civil wars. ... If the West suffers economic collapse due to chaos in the Persian Gulf, democracy may not survive anywher. In that event, the attempt to spread democracy could actually destroy democracy. ... 'History aways repeats itself twice,' wrote Karl Marx. 'The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.' When the Left compares Bush toHitler, we ought to make use of Marx's formula--turning it back on itself. A farce is a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations. ... Like Hitler's blitzkrieg, George W. Bush's blitzkrieg initially appeared unstoppable, victorious, sweeping all before it; but like Hitler, he overextended, became bogged down, found himself at odds with his generals, issuing a 'no retreat' order in the face of collapsing morale. While Hitler filled the concentration camps and exterminated 'undersireables' in conquered territory, Bush was determined to fill voting booths and elect the undesireables. When the Gestapo captured insurgents, they were brutally tortured; when Americans captured insurgents they were forced to wear women's underwear. Hitler attacked the Russians because of their treachery. Bush invited his treacherous Russian 'partner' to a barbeque at his dad's house. ... In fact, America's enemies had reason to smile. Some of them probably laughed. "Iraq is lost. Iran won it,' noted former CIA operative Robert Baer. Because of Bush's invasion of Iraq, Iran will be the dominant power in the region. ... Baer [wrote] The [US] was the instrument of its own defeat in the Middle East. By decimating Iraq's army, we opened the door to Iran to annex Iraq and its oil through proxies--a process that is well under way.' ... The 'war on terror,' therefore, tends toward farce. It is not imperialism, but misguided philanthropy in which many people are killed and America's enemies gain the advantage", JR Nyquist (JRN), 9 January 2009 at http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/pastanalysis/2009/0109.html.

JRN's got this knocked. In the 60 years of Israel's existence, discouraging the US Iraq invasion was one of the two things Israel and Saudi Arabia agreed on. They saw this coming! What a complete blunder! Consider concepts like: GDP, CPI, PPI, etc. What are they really?